One-step degradation of cellulose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural in ionic liquid under mild conditions

Lilong Zhou; Yiming He; Zhanwei Ma; Runjuan Liang; Tinghua Wu; Ying Wu

doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2014.10.062

One-step degradation of cellulose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural in ionic liquid under mild conditions

Carbohydr Polym. 2015 Mar 6:117:694-700. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2014.10.062. Epub 2014 Nov 7.

Authors

Lilong Zhou¹, Yiming He², Zhanwei Ma¹, Runjuan Liang¹, Tinghua Wu³, Ying Wu⁴

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Advanced Catalysis Materials, Institute of Physical Chemistry, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004, PR China.
² Department of Materials Physics, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004, PR China.
³ Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Advanced Catalysis Materials, Institute of Physical Chemistry, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004, PR China. Electronic address: thwu@zjnu.cn.
⁴ Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Advanced Catalysis Materials, Institute of Physical Chemistry, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004, PR China. Electronic address: yingwu@zjnu.cn.

PMID: 25498690
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2014.10.062

Abstract

One-step conversion of cellulose to HMF (5-hydroxymethylfurfural) has been achieved by using metal chlorides (CrCl3, CuCl2, SnCl4, WCl6) in [BMIM]Cl. The effects of temperature, reaction time, amount of catalysts, and the purity of [BMIM]Cl on the performance have been studied and discussed in detail. More than 63% yield of HMF and 80% yield of TRS (total reducing sugar) were obtained in [BMIM]Cl with CrCl3 at 120 °C under atmospheric pressure. Filter paper and cotton were also used as a source for cellulose degradation to HMF, but only a moderate yield of HMF was obtained (40% for filter paper and 12% for cotton). The reutilization of this system was examined and the reaction mechanism was also discussed.

Keywords: 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural; Cellulose; CrCl(3); Ionic liquid.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't